So why bother with alternate weapons?

The logic you're using is about 6 years old. My point is that the patch doesn't change any of the logic in end game weapon choice. (it does change the logic in weapon paths, and I'll explain below)

Sure some people may initially prefer the axes and blunt weapons for accessibility, but as soon as they get the money they'll switch to the option that gives them faster leveling or higher dps. Using this logic you can only argue that the removal of the split helps people because it leads them to the same conclusions that Nexon wants them to reach, but without the previous punishment (before blunt weapon users just got the shaft and either had to reroll a new character or deal with their subpar weaponry). If the damage formulas are ultimately the same, and if most every sword is faster than its blunt weapon equivalent, but only slightly weaker, which would you pick?

Interestingly the removal of the split does do something which nobody has mentioned which is increase item and scroll functionality for a short period of time. That is, now you have to option to do both instead of one or the other, and because of this you can change weapon type and style every so often as you approach a solid level. Page/Knight and Fighter/Sader become more dynamic in their leveling due to the split removal. This makes some classes less linear in terms of equipment changes. Of course accessibility and equalizing damage formulas encourages this, but the best choice will always be there so long as you have the money to pay for it.

On the other hand, you're also arguing that Nexon's change will result in segregation of the obviously privileged "rich kids" and the lesser "casual and penniless". So one's motivations and strivings don't really change (everyone still seeks the best weapon which in this case is swords), but their options do change, and in this case the casual and penniless have no better option than settling for second best. The caveat of your argument is that Nexon's change will not make the game better, but much much worse. (unless you're a sucker with low self-esteem)

Arguing for uniqueness is like arguing that there is no cash shop. Uniqueness applies more to the visual feel of the game rather than how the game is played. For this reason, uniqueness isn't an actual response to my arguments. An underlying assumption to this argument is that Nexon will eventually release a cash item that allows your weapon to look like any other weapon in the game. At that point your "uniqueness" argument is trashed.

Hey now, you never said anything about end-game weapons until this post. And you're putting a lot of words in my mouth. I'm just saying that at any point if someone needs a weapon and they can't afford (or don't want to pay for) a more expensive line, they'll go for the alternative. It's just easier to switch between them now for whatever reason you prefer. I think of it as similar to the difference between 1-handed and 2-handed weapons before. 1-handed swords are a whole lot more expensive than 2-handed swords, and fast 2-handed swords are more expensive than normal speed 2-handed swords. I use 2-handed swords because I'd rather not bust my ass off for some extra damage.

Aesthetics do affect gameplay decisions, whether or not you like it. I have a friend who chose bishop over archmage because Genesis looked cool, I would rather have a VIP 2-handed sword than 1-handed because it doesn't look like crap, etc. Just because it might not apply to you doesn't mean that it doesn't apply to others who do make decisions on how jobs, equips, skills, etc look. Also, shockingly, not everyone buys NX clothes.

Also, 6 years? GMS wasn't even out of beta yet.